2 Reasons To Have Medical Supervision While You Are Detoxing

Blog

If you have problems with addiction and you have decided that you are ready to work on getting clean and sober, you need to make sure that you have some medical help. One reason for this is the fact that you are going to have to detox from whatever substance or substances that you have been taking. There are several reasons why you need to have medical help and supervision as you detox. 

1. Substitution

One reason for medical supervision while you are detoxing is that the medical professional can help you by substituting whatever it was you were taking with something else. For example, methadone is often substituted for things like heroin. That allows you to go off the heroin without having to go straight to no drugs at all. You can step down the methadone carefully so that you are eventually completely sober. 

2. Risk

Going cold turkey off certain substances might sound like it could be a good idea, however, it really isn't. There are some things, like alcohol, that can be really dangerous as you are coming off them. You can have to deal with all kinds of nasty things as you are going off them. That can include things like hallucinations, dehydration, and profuse vomiting. Dehydration and vomiting can wear your body down and could cause serious illnesses, and even death, in extreme cases. If you are under medical supervision while you are detoxing, the medical professionals can help support your body while you are handling those things. For example, they could make sure that you have an IV that will keep you hydrated. That will also allow the medical professionals to give you medicine that can help control vomiting. They can also give you things like glucose through the IV so that your body can have more energy to help you fight to get all of the drugs or other substances that you've been taking. 

Getting clean and sober isn't ever going to be an easy process. You need to have all kinds of support in order to be as successful as possible. Long-term, you will probably need to have some kind of counseling in order to help learn new coping skills. But, the first step of the process is going to be to get clean from all the substances you might be taking. You are really going to want to have medical supervision while you do that. 

To learn more, contact a company like Evergreen Recovery Centers today. 

Share

24 June 2019

Counseling is Important Even if You Are Taking Depression Medication

I suffered depression for much of my life, and I lived with it for years before seeking help. I visited a psychiatrist and received an antidepressant prescription along with a referral to a counselor. I filled my prescription, but I put off making an appointment with the counselor. The medication began to help, so I decided that I didn't need to see a counselor after all -- or so I thought at the time. After a couple of months of medication, a close friend of mine died of an illness. I then learned that even though the medication helped my depression, I still had not learned the coping skills I needed to deal with traumatic life experiences. That even motivated me to seek counseling, and it helped me immensely. I created this blog to remind others that medication can help when suffering with depression, but counseling is also extremely important.